The present invention relates to new frozen comestibles, and, in a more particular aspect, it relates to low fat frozen desserts with the organoleptic characteristics of high fat frozen desserts. The invention also relates to methods of making the frozen comestibles.
Food technology in recent years has focused on providing high quality food products which are low in calorie content and low in cost. In this regard, the frozen dessert industry has attempted to provide reduced-fat products which have organoleptic properties similar to the same products having a normally higher fat content. This objective is particularly difficult to achieve in frozen food products because the product is subjected to low temperatures which can have an adverse effect on the blend of ingredients.
Ice cream, for example, is a frozen dessert recognized for its smooth, creamy texture achieved by delicately balancing formulated ingredients and processing steps to provide the desired coldness, melt-down, mouthfeel and other taste characteristics.
Primary components of ice cream products are the dairy-based ingredients. In earlier times, milk and cream provided the basic ingredients, i.e., milk protein, milk sugar, milkfat (butterfat), emulsifiers and stabilizers, necessary for making ice cream products. In current commercial operations, ice cream formulations can also include nonfat milk solids, milk fat, sugar and water to replace some or all of the traditional ingredient milk/cream, as well as other non-dairy ingredients such as egg yolks, emulsifiers and stabilizers.
By definition, ice cream must contain not less than 10% milk fat and 20% total milk solids. Unfortunately, milk fats add a significant amount of calories to the ice cream. Ice milks have been introduced to reduce the amount of calories in the product. Ice milks are formulated to be low in milk fat and to include primarily nonfat milk solids. Some ice milks, however, contain high percentages of nonfat milk solids which can impart a gritty or chalky mouthfeel. This drawback is chiefly due to the high levels of solids which do not melt in the oral cavity. In addition, the higher concentrations of crystallized lactose present in nonfat milk solids can also contribute to inferior organoleptic qualities.
Thus, ingredients and methods are constantly being sought to provide a reduced fat frozen comestible with a creamy texture and a lubriciousness characteristic of a higher fat content food product.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a frozen food product which has organoleptic properties characteristic of a fat-containing product.
It is another object of the present invention to provide ice cream or ice milk products having substantially reduced fat content and a creamy texture which can be stored for relatively long periods of time without deterioration.
Other and further objects of the present invention will become apparent in the following description and its scope will be pointed out with the appended claims.